It took a little over three years on SL for me to find a
job that matched my abilities. In the beginning, I had just a few modeling gigs
after which my funds were dwindling slowly but steadily. Soon, I felt that doing
hunts and scouting for freebies was not the best way to go about Second Life. I
started writing in the beginning of May 2013 when the Editor of SLE, Lanai
Jarrico hired me on a free-lance basis. Since the first article was published,
I have not looked back – until today.

As a journalist, I have met some amazing people, and what
has been surprising is that almost everybody I have approached to interview has
been willing to volunteer their views on the topic at hand. Many have been
flattered and eager to be featured in an online publication. Some of these
avatars have already been my friends, and many others have become friends as a
result of the interview.

The first two articles I wrote were on fashion topics,
and I was able to explore solutions to issues on mesh clothing and hair that
had been irritating me for a length of time. Given the length limitations on
SLE articles, these pieces had little depth, but they were able to convey some
key points. It was especially gratifying seeing Cathy Cyberstar get her new
hair at BiZZaRRe.

After this, I did a few articles on varying occupations
and lifestyles, exploring the life of DJs and venue owners, vampires, furries,
gender-switchers, and newbies. During these ventures into the unknown, it
became clear to me that the breadth of the SLE experience is so vast that no
avatar can fully grasp the whole. While these lifestyles sometimes carry a
stigma of one kind or another, I was able to find interviewees that
contradicted the mainstream impression of the genre at hand. I am particularly grateful
to Jennie Sutton who openly described her gender-switching experiments, in more
detail that I had space to print, and to Victoria1980 for introducing me to the
live music scene in SL.

A visit to the SL10B Community Celebration was a very
interesting one, and I wrote on the eve of the celebration as avatars were
frantically setting the place up. I caught the “pre-show” jitters that my
interviewees were experiencing and could emotionally identify with their
experience.

Further down the line, I started exploring how our real
lives are influenced by Second Life – sharing RL photos in SL and dealing with
the SL experience in real life. This line of reporting is a recurring feature
of SLE and I am glad to have been able to contribute to these topics.

Finally, I did a gonzo-style foray into a Western RP sim
in Tombstone. For this article, I dressed in period-correct attire, went
through the pre-orientation given by a greeter for the Arizona sims, and
role-played my way through the interviews. This took several days, and as I got
deeper in interaction with the people of Tombstone, I was too deep to submerge
from the experience completely. The dimension of roleplay in Tombstone takes
the SLE experience to a whole new level. I have subsequently submitted my citizenship
application for the Tombstone admins.

Since I started, I have averaged an article each week. At
times, it has been hectic, keeping with deadlines. I have been able to submit a
few days early, in most cases, but a couple of times I needed an extension, as
some interviews needed wrapping up, or I felt I needed to shoot additional
photos. The time used for the interviews takes up most of my actual time in SL,
and it must be said that for anyone wishing to make journalism as a hobby, a
casual attitude just will not suffice. I have always tried to approach each
subject from a professional standpoint, and as far as SL jobs go, the work has
been able to support my SL expenses quite well.

In real-life terms, it must be
understood that SL journalism doesn’t pay through anyone’s daily life.

The most surprising thing associated with this job has
been the willingness of people I have met, and interviewees especially, to
venture into reporting themselves. At least three avatars have started writing
on SLE after I have been talking with them. It may be that I have just found so
many like-minded people, by accident, or that there really is some serendipity
at work. The other side of the coin is not so surprising – many male avatars I
have approached have misinterpreted my forward attitude as something it
certainly is not, and tried all kinds of tricks to lure me into more intimate
circumstances.

Image by Orchids Zenovka

Second Life can be just a place to socialize, but for
many avatars, it is a vehicle for self-expression. Getting my word out to the
public view is a manifestation of a creative streak in me, and I welcome the
opportunity very much. I hope to be able to contribute as a writer for SLE for
a long time. Thanks to Lanai for holding up the flame in SLE!